National Dessert Day is on October 14th. 

The End. 

Just kidding! Seriously though, what else can I say about National Dessert Day?  Basically, anything sweet is considered a dessert - ranging from a single Hershey Kiss to the World Record Ice Cream Sundae.  Pick your pleasure.  Better yet, pick out something for someone who deserves a thoughtful pinch!

I’m in love with national days and that is why I’m a huge fan of nationaldaycalendar.com.  It’s a reliable source that informs me of so many great national days which I, in turn, use as “excuses” to show thoughtfulness.  Using #nationaldessertday as an opportunity to show someone you care about them can be super fun for you and it can make a nice impact on someone who may need a little sweetness. 

Two tidbits about me and dessert:  1. Like a mother should never {admit to} have a favorite child, I do not have a favorite dessert.  That is only because I do not discriminate when it comes to anything sweet; I love it all. However, I really do miss chocolate! Fortunately, I have found many other ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. 2. Another thing about me is that I eat dessert after every meal. I inherited this from my grandfather.  If there was nothing sweet to eat after lunch or dinner, my grandfather would dip a large spoon into the jam/jelly jar and eat it straight up. Yes, I have done this in desperate times too.

Two tidbits that you may not always think of when it comes to dessert: 1. It’s easy to pinch someone you know who will absolutely love a sweet treat.  However, it’s really hard to give something sweet to someone you may be fighting with or haven’t talked to in a long time.  Consider giving a thoughtful pinch for National Dessert Day to someone who is difficult or someone you’ve been avoiding for awhile.  Maybe now is a good time to pull out the dessert card.  You still care about them and love them, but I know that it’s too hard to wave the white flag. Sometimes, like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it’s just dessert. The End. But consider dessert to sweeten a situation, to soften the tension, to bond two people. Metaphorically, it is an edible white flag. 

2. Although National Dessert Day and thoughtfulness can go hand in hand, it’s also a time to be mindful of our friends who are making big efforts to shed some pounds, stabilize their blood sugar levels, watch what they are eating, cutting refined sugar out of their diets etc.  This national day may be everybody else’s excuse to go crazy and gobble up all the sugared foods they can eat in a 24-hour period.  For the ones who can’t eat something sweet - consider giving them flowers (sweet smell and sweet sight), having a nice conversation (sweet sounds) or giving a massage or foot rub (sweet touch).  All are thoughtful ways to put the “cherry on top” of a great day. 

Candy, ice cream, cake, ANYTHING WITH PEANUT BUTTER, cookies, ganache, Tres Leche, smoothies, muffins, breads, yogurt, Flan, honey, ANYTHING CHOCOLATE, Whoopie Pies, strudels, fruit, ANYTHING THAT IS STICKY, Dipping Dots, caramel corn, Tiramisu, bars, cotton candy, licorice, Icees, ANYTHING WITH SPRINKLES ON IT, pies, Dulce de Leche, coffee drinks, cream puffs, cereal bars, ANYTHING WITH A CHERRY ON TOP, alcohol, fudge, taffy, brownies, Porto’s Cheese Rolls, Mochi, donuts, tortes, salted nut rolls, Macroons and from the Philippines - Babingka, Ube, Halo-Halo, Pastillas and Sans Rival. Yum! 

I am sure I am forgetting something but you may know a person or two who would melt for dessert from the many items that I listed above.  Challenge yourself on this “no brainer” national day; give a dessert to someone who wouldn’t expect to be thought of on National Dessert Day!

Pinches,

Barb